What Can Be Done?

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

A number of organisations and international agreements aim to protect freshwater biodiversity, including: 

:: The Convention on Biological Diversity: this Convention has a programme of work specifically dedicated to protecting inland waters biodiversity. 

:: The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: is an intergovernmental treaty that guides national action and international cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources; almost 1 900 “Wetlands of International Importance” have been designated under the treaty.

:: Wetlands International: a global organisation that works to sustain and restore wetlands and their resources for people and biodiversity. 

:: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The World Wide Fund for Nature/World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Conservation International (CI) all have freshwater programmes. There are many other non-governmental organisations (NGO s) addressing freshwater issues at regional, national and local levels. 

Aren't Nutrients Good For You?

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

What’s wrong with nutrients? Aren’t they good for you? All living things need nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to grow and survive. That’s why these nutrients are the main ingredients in agricultural fertilisers (helping crops to grow). Excess nutrients are also contained in sewage from both households and farms (excreted from all living things).

Biodiversity = Clean Water = Human Health

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

All life depends on water. Human beings need two to three litres of clean drinking water a day. Without food we can survive weeks. But without water, we can die of dehydration in as little as two days. More than one billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water, and some two million people die each year of diarrhoea caused by unclean water, 70 percent of these are children.

The Importance of Freshwater Biodiversity

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

Freshwater biodiversity provides a variety of benefits (ecosystem services) to people, including:

Food: in developing countries, inland fisheries can provide the primary source of animal protein for many rural communities (see box: “Aquaculture”). Aquaculture, the farming of fish and other aquatic animals (e.g. shrimp), can also provide food and income for many people, as can wetland agriculture, such as rice farming.

Freshwater Biodiversity At The Species Level

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

The Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus is considered to be a freshwater mammal because, although it feeds on land, like a cow, it is adapted to life in water.

For example, it has a flat head on which the eyes and nostrils protrude, enabling it to remain submerged, but still able to see and breathe; a cow could not do this.

River Dolphins: Species in Danger

Freshwater Life

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

“Freshwater biodiversity”, at the species level, includes life which is very obviously living in freshwater but also includes life which is adapted to live in or around freshwater habitats. Examples include:

The Water Cycle

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

The water cycle is the continous movement of water around the planet. During this cycle water can be in various states: solid, liquid or gas. Water moves by processes of evaporation (water turning from a liquid to a gas), transpiration (the movement of water through vegetation and soil), condensation andprecipitation.

Freshwater Biodiversity - Chapter 7

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, David Coates and Jacquie Grekin, CBD,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 7) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 7. Verbatim.

Freshwater includes rivers, lakes and wetlands and are habitats which are rich in biodiversity. Such systems provide us with many services such as our drinking water, food (such as fish), a means of transport as well as recreational opportunities. Unfortunately freshwater systems are some of the most endangered habitats in the world and have alarming rates of species extinction.